Everything is NOT What it Seems
by sanityisfiction
Summary: Two cousins, Kaitlyn and Macie, discover a brand new adventure when Kaitlyn and her brother and sister go to visit Macie. Two strangers appear in Macie's living room. Who are these people and why are they here?
1. Time Comes to Haunt Me

Chapter 1

_Time Comes to Haunt Me_

_*_Macie*

Through bleary eyes I saw the time on my watch, and woke with a yelp realizing how late it was. My cousins were coming over and I was supposed to get ready when I had gotten home. Falling asleep was not my intention; I just wanted to take a short nap. I was just so tired from studying. I was more rested, but I felt horrible. I hated to disappoint my mother and that's exactly what this would do.

My oldest cousin was my least favorite person in the world. Her name's Kaitlyn. She was my age, thirteen, but that's where the similarities stopped. She was so immature and reckless. She didn't consider anyone's feelings when she would do something. I've heard my Uncle Lucas expressing how worried he is about her when he calls my mom. One day Kaitlyn had skipped school to hang out with her friends and didn't come back till nine o'clock! She hadn't even thought about her responsibility to watch her siblings after school! Sometimes I wondered how her family dealt with her attitude. At least I only needed to see her a few times a month when her parents went on business trips. They all lived in Arkansas, so they drove up to Nashville once a month to visit, and sometimes more often when Aunt Kaielyn and Uncle Lucas had to work out of state. I loved my younger cousins Mathew and Jamie. They were a wonderful change to this normally empty house, but seeing them means seeing Kaitlyn and that means trouble.

I walked into the living room and straightened up the couch. I was still wearing my school uniform, but I didn't have time to change. They were going to be here in less than forty-five minutes. I still had to sweep, wipe all the counters, dust because of Mathew's asthma, and start dinner. I didn't mind doing this, but it would take forever. Just then I got a text from my mom. It said: SRRY GONA B LATE TONITE, SHLTR NEEDED HELP. PLS B NICE. I KNOW YOU AND UR COUSIN DONT GET ALONG. THX LUV U. I sighed. I loved my mom, she is such a good mother and she works so hard, but she volunteers at the local shelter. She tries but comes home late. I know it's for something good, so I can't blame her.

It looked like I was on my own tonight. I should've known right away that this wasn't going to end well for me. As I dusted, I started to daydream. I started thinking about my father. I thought about him often. I wondered who he was, where he was. He walked out on my mom before I was born. Sometimes I wish he was here. But I'd never told anyone about my wish because I knew Mom worked hard without any help and I respected her for that.

I jumped as the oven timer went off. Dinner was ready, just in time. As I looked out the window, I saw my uncle driving their silver minivan down the driveway. _Yay! _I thought sarcastically, _the nightmare's about to start! _I watched as the whole family piled out of the car. I looked at my phone; 5:38. The night had barely begun and I was wishing it was over. I heard a quiet tap on the door. Outside I saw my cousins smiling at me and their big sister sulking in the background. I opened the door and invited them in politely and cheerily, not knowing I was in for a new kind of test tonight and it wasn't one I could study for.


	2. I Knock on the Door of Doom

Chapter 2

_I Knock on the Doors of Doom_

*Kaitlyn*

I sighed. I could hardly hear myself think, much less my music, over my brother and sister. Sometimes they absolutely loved each other, but sometimes you'd think they had been lifelong enemies. Jamie was seven and Mathew was nine. They acted just like kids their age, and it got on my nerves. We were in my dad's van on the way to my cousin's house. It had been quite a while since Macie and I got along. She was a neat freak **and **a control freak. _Plus she. . . _My thoughts were interrupted by Jamie's whining cries.

"Give it back!" she pleaded to Mathew. I turned to face them. The van had three rows of seats, and Jamie and Mathew were in the back while I was in the middle row.

As usual I had to become the mediator. Here comes Kaitlyn to the rescue. "Jamie, what did Mathew take?" I said soothingly.

"He took my baby!" she cried, sniffling. Jamie loved to take care of her baby doll. She treated like a real child. It really was adorable, but when squabbles like this occur I wanted to throw the thing at the wall. Mathew loved taunting her with it.

"Mathew, please give Jamie her baby back," I said sternly. He nodded in understanding. He listened to me because I had practically raised him and Jamie since my parents were never home. Sometimes I thought they didn't care about us. Especially when they dump us at Macie's house when they go on long business trips. This one would last two weeks. Every day I tell my parents I can take care of Jamie and Mathew on my own, but I don't think they trusted me or believed me.

When we were almost there I turned to lecture my siblings. They looked at me with attentive eyes, ready to listen.

"You two are going to be good the _entire_ time right?" They nodded their heads quickly. They liked our cousin enough to be good for two weeks.

"Will I get to stay with you instead of Mathew?" Jamie asked. She was afraid of the dark and wanted me to be with her because I was helping her overcome it. She also preferred to be with me instead of Mathew, it reduces fighting.

"I'm sure we can arrange something for you Jamie," I told her, smiling. "And you too Mathew, I'm sure you can stay right across the hall."

"Kaitlyn, I want you to be nice to Aunt San and your cousin," said my dad in a persuasive tone as he looked at me through the mirror.

"It's not Aunt San I have a problem with," I muttered under breath. Louder I replied, "Yes sir." I could now see their two story house clearly. When we pulled up, my parents got out of the car while I helped Mathew and Jamie out. I grabbed their hands and squeezed tight, as if I was preparing for battle. Which I was. My dad gave a light tap on the door.

In retrospect, it would've been best to turn tail and run. Maybe if we had, things would be different


	3. My Night Just Keeps Getting Worse

Chapter 3  
><em>My Night Just Keeps Getting Worse <em>  
>*Macie*<p>

I opened the door to let Jamie, Mathew, Kaitlyn, Uncle Lucas, and Aunt Kaielyn inside. We hugged and greeted each other and everyone was happy, except for Kaitlyn of course. Uncle Lucas had dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes like Mathew. Uncle Lucas looked at me quizzically; he knew Mom wasn't here. His stare was scaring me. I had hoped he wouldn't notice right away.

"Mom is going to be a _little_ late," I said, emphasizing "little" so he wouldn't get angry. It didn't do any good. Uncle Lucas practically exploded.

"Of course she is! Cassandra is always overworking herself because she volunteers at the homeless shelter, and it isn't even her _job _to do it!" he raged. Being Mom's older brother he was quite overprotective.

"Whatever. I knew she'd do this. She probably thinks watching us for two weeks is too much of a burden. I guess we weren't important enough to be graced with her presence at this time," Kaitlyn said this, rolled her eyes, and lead her siblings out of the room. I winced, knowing Mom didn't think that. Why did Kaitlyn have to say things like that?  
>Uncle Lucas was still steaming, and Aunt Kay didn't know who to tend to first: her husband or her moody teenage daughter.<p>

"I'll get Kaitlyn," I told her, and she nodded thankfully. She was in the guest bedroom that she stayed in when she visited. Jamie and Mathew were sitting on the bed whispering. Kaitlyn sat watching them with a smile. "It's almost time for dinner," I said, breaking her focus. She looked at me and her smile disappeared.

"I'll be there," she said without emotion. I moved back to the kitchen and helped Aunt Kay make dinner: BBQ ribs. The meal was so tense and quiet, it was like a fault waiting to slip and cause an earthquake. I was extremely grateful when it was over. Mom had yet to return, which worried me.

When my aunt and uncle were ready to leave, Jamie and Mathew watched with sad eyes. Kaitlyn gave a sort of half wave and stalked back to her room. Jamie grabbed her baby doll and looked at it with sad, blue eyes. She silently started crying. Mathew just stood there in deep-thinking mode, as if he were constructing a plan to get them back. Mom had always been the one to comfort them, but I don't think even she could've helped. I considered getting Kaitlyn, but with attitude, she'd just make it worse.

I looked at my phone for the time: 8:00 pm. I wanted to go to bed, even if it was early. I walked Jamie upstairs to Kaitlyn's room and helped her to bed. Kaitlyn just watched. _If looks could kill. . . _Jamie's deep blue eyes were red and puffy from crying. I gave her a hug and took Mathew to his bedroom. I flipped the closet light on and closed his door. I walked into my room exhausted. I fell asleep instantly.

I jerked awake at an abrupt sound. I jumped out of bed thinking it was Mom. I peered at the clock. It was midnight, but I had to talk to her no matter how late it was. As I walked out of my room, I saw Kaitlyn who must have heard the noise too.

"What are doing?" I hissed.

"I could ask you the same question, couldn't I?" She had the retort ready and seemed pleased to deliver it.

"Well with your big attitude, I didn't think you'd care about what I'm doing." 

"Whatever. It doesn't matter."

"Why are you so angry all the time? You know your sister was crying and you didn't do anything!"

"Shut up. You don't know me anymore Macie." She flicked some ink black hair in her face, covering her pretty green eyes. _She's right, I really don't know her. _

**CRASH!**

A look of worry flashed across our faces. Someone was in my house and they didn't sound friendly. We crept downstairs like ninjas, as quietly as possible. I was scared out of my mind, but Kaitlyn looked brave, even determined, to face the mystery. As we got to the bottom of the stairs, I could see two figures standing in my living room.

Two people were standing there and I had no idea what to do.


	4. We Make Two New Friends?

Chapter 4

_I Meet Two New Friends_

*Kaitlyn*

Finally! Dinner was over. Mom and Dad stood up to say their goodbyes, and I knew it wouldn't be fun. I gave them a little half wave, thinking _They just want to leave ASAP so they don't have to deal with us any longer. _Jamie broke down and I left for my room, her cries still audible. The room needed serious redecorating, but that would soon be the least of my problems. I sat on the floor and stared at the pale blue walls. _You can go comfort her. You can make her stop crying._ I knew I could, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. She needed to realize that are parents were always going to leave. Eventually Macie brought Jamie in. I gave her a steely look as she hugged her goodnight. I said goodnight to Mathew who said nothing, and then I tucked Jamie in. Her dirty blonde hair was sprawled across the pillow and her light blue eyes fluttered shut.

"Goodnight Jamie," I whispered.

"Night Kaitlyn," she murmured, already half asleep. I put on my old worn out Coca-Cola T-shirt and a pair of blue shorts. I stumbled into wondering if I'd be able to sleep. It turned out that falling asleep wasn't the problem, it was staying asleep.

Around midnight I heard a weird noise that I thought was Mathew getting up. I wanted to talk to him and make sure he went back to sleep. I threw my covers off and snuck out of the room to the top of the stairs. To my surprise, Macie was also there. 

"What are you doing?" she hissed at me.

"I could ask you the same question, couldn't I?"

"Well with your big attitude, I don't think you care about what I'm doing," she commented. Well, someone's feeling snarky!

"Whatever," I said dismissively. "It doesn't matter."

"Why are you so angry all the time? Your sister was crying and you didn't do anything!" I rolled my eyes but the comment still stung.

"Shut up! You don't know me anymore Macie," I snapped. I did not want to hear her complaints about me.

**CRASH! **

We both jumped at the sound. We crept downstairs and into the living room. There were two figures, a boy and a girl. The only light was dim and from the windows. The couch was turned over and was blocking their view of us. _Who would tip somebody's couch over? _Their backs were turned and they were whispering about something. We moved up to where we were right behind the overturned couch.

"Can I borrow your shoe?" I asked Macie, my voice barely above a whisper. She looked at me quizzically and reluctantly gave me her shoe. It was just slipper but it didn't matter. I had a plan. Now that were closer I could make out their conversation.

". . . accident!" the boy said apologetically.

"You always mess everything up!" the girl said angrily, her voice rising.

"Oh, just shut up!" the boy said, this time with anger, adding an Irish accent to his voice.

"Felix! You're going to wake someone up! Let's get out of here."

Without warning I popped up behind the couch holding Macie's slipper like a shot put. "Looks like we beat you to the punch!" I yelled. I chucked the shoe at them and it hit the boy square in the face. He stumbled backwards from mostly shock, hit the coffee table, and fell on his butt.

"Ow!" he said. Macie and I walked out from behind the couch.

"What are you doing in my house?" Macie demanded, her arms crossed at her chest.

"None of your business!" the boy said as his partner shook her head, obviously displeased. His response must've been the wrong one.

"It is our business! You're in our house!" I told the boy defiantly, putting my hands on my hips. I decided it would be too much of a hassle to explain that it wasn't my house at all and I was here against my will.

"I'm really sorry," the girl said, trying to make amends. "My name's Emma and this idiot is Felix. It was an accident-," she tried to continue but Macie cut her off.

"_Accident?_ How do you _accidentally_ break into someone's house? And why did you flip my couch over?" Macie was beside herself. I had to admit I'd never seen her like that before.

"That is classified," said Felix, smirking like he was better than me. Nobody does that to me.

"Okay, you know what?" I said stepping closer, so I was right in front of him. Then Emma jumped in.

"Alright let's not fight. Listen, I'm really sorry, but our reasons are confidential. All I can say is that it really was an accident." She sounded genuine, but I wanted a real answer. _They're both getting shoes in the face if that's all they can give me._


	5. Black Becomes My Least Favorite Color

Chapter 5

_Black Becomes My Least Favorite Color_

*Macie*

I was boiling. First they show up in my living room and then the girl had the nerve to tell me it was an accident? How do you make a break-in look like an accident? I had never been that mad before.

"You've got to be kidding me! You cannot just barge into my living room and tell me it's classified!" I took a deep breath. I wasn't used to yelling at people. Plus, Emma kept giving me sympathy looks with her hazel eyes that were sending pure regret down my spine. I wanted to apologize, but it wasn't my place, it was theirs.

"We would love to tell you everything, but we're already in big trouble. We don't want to make it worse. If you want, we can try to get clearance for you, but that's very unlikely," said Felix kindly as he swept his dark strawberry blond hair out of his face.

"Felix! We are in trouble because of you and your mistakes! You shouldn't be guaranteeing them anything since we're already in trouble with H.Q.!" scolded Emma. I noticed that the colored streaks in her bleach blond hair were changing colors rapidly; as if they were connected to her emotions. They turned around and started talking to each other with heated voices.

"Are the two of you going to continue bickering or are you going to tell us something?" Kaitlyn's fearless, sarcastic voice popped in unexpectedly. The intruders stared her down and I realized how strong looking Emma and Felix were. Felix looked like he could throw Kaitlyn ten yards without thinking twice and Emma, as petite as she was, had a lot of muscle in her long arms and legs. I realized I was actually worrying about my cousin's safety. And my own. _Thank goodness Jamie and Mathew are safe upstairs. _I thought with relief.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Emma said. She sighed and eyed Felix who was obviously dismayed.

"Here, let's sit at the table and talk, if you promise not to tip it over too." I told Emma. Felix cracked a smile at this remark, and Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, surprised by my boldness. To be honest, so was I. When we were all seated at the table, Emma began.

"We work for the government. We were supposed to be investigating your neighbors for confidential reasons. They are out of town and we were sent to search their house. Of course, Felix got the addresses mixed up and we ended up here." Felix jumped at his name. His cocky, superior exterior broke, revealing a damaged ego. _He must hate to make mistakes._ "There was no car home, so we didn't think twice about entering the house. Once inside, Felix bumped into me and I fell back on the couch and knocked it over. I'm sorry."

"So am I. It really wasn't supposed to work out like this." Felix added, his voice filled with compassion.

"That's it?" Kaitlyn said. Emma nodded. I could tell she wanted to believe them as much as I did. _But there's something about their story that doesn't add up. They're young, sixteen probably. Why would the government recruit sixteen year olds? Why were they investigating my neighbor? They're not very stealthy either. Maybe they're new. _My eyes drifted to the front door, which was locked. _Why re-lock it?_ Thoughts whirled in my mind.

"I think I want to talk to your supervisor," I said quietly, almost to myself.

"It's almost midnight! You couldn't possibly think she'd be awake at this bloody hour?" Felix's voice rose and Emma whacked him to try and silence him.

"If you really work for the government, then any good supervisor would stay up to hear the results of the field report or leave someone else they trusted up. Therefore, it should be no problem to call your boss so we may speak with her."

They were stumped at her response. I reached behind me and grabbed my phone from the kitchen counter. Everyone watched as I dialed the number 9-1-1. Emma looked disappointed, Felix looked betrayed, and Kaitlyn was eying me like I was a new toy on Christmas and she was five again.

I was about to press call when I blacked out.


	6. My Life Takes a Fun Turn

Chapter 6

_My Life Takes a Fun (Or What Macie Finds Dangerous) Turn_

*Kaitlyn*

"Macie!" She slumped in her chair, unconscious. There was a small cut on her forehead. It happened fast and whoever did it was a like a shadow. "What just happened? What did you do?" I directed at Emma. She said nothing, but I saw her eyes flicker behind me. It was very discreet, but I caught it in time. I grabbed the saltshaker on the table and flung it backwards, sending salt all over my attacker.

Behind me I heard a feminine scream. I jumped up from the table to face who I was dealing with. She was a girl, about my age or older, with a long dark braid halfway down her back. Her eyes were a startling chestnut brown and were rimmed red from the salt. Next to her was a boy. They looked so similar they had to be siblings. His hair was the same color but curly and his eyes were darker. _Who are these guys, backup?_

The girl was blinking her eyes rapidly and her brother was glaring at me. He was probably just angry because I hurt his sister. Emma and Felix were also watching like hawks. I began to feel awkward.

"Carmen, are you okay?" Emma asked the girl.

"I'm fine Em," Carmen said. She looked amused, but her brother didn't.

"Are you sure?" her brother asked.

"Shut up Cameron! I'm _fine_!" she said harshly. _Yep, she is definitely the oldest._ She looked at her companions and then me.

"Carmen," Emma started uneasily, but Carmen cut her off.

"I know Emma." Her voice was edgy. It was like she was waiting for me to make the next move. When I realized Cameron wasn't behind Macie's chair anymore, it was too late. I felt his cold hand on my shoulder and blacked out.

XXXXX

I rolled over on my side, trying to keep the sun away from my eyes because I wasn't ready to wake up yet. I was waiting for Jamie or Mathew to wake me up. My hand went in search of my blanket so I could wrap it around myself. The blanket I found was thin and scratchy. Nothing like the plush, soft one I fell asleep with.  
>My eyes flew open and I realized a series of things at once. First of all, I wasn't in my room or Macie's guest bedroom. The light shining wasn't the sun, but the bright fluorescent of the room. <em>Where am I?<em> Suddenly I remembered the events that occurred last night. _Did those things really happen or were they dreams? _I honestly preferred the latter. The room I was in had bare white walls and several beds lined up next to each other. It looked like an infirmary, and it probably was.  
>I sat up and looked around. The air had a sanitary, but old smell to it. There was a beeping noise coming from the corner of the room that I assumed was a camera. I saw a sleeping lump in the bed next to mine and the caramel colored hair of my cousin.<p>

"Macie!" I said in a loud whisper, hoping not to cause unwanted attention. I swung out of bed and padded over to Macie's bed. Thankfully, I still had my pajamas and socks on because the room was chilly. "Macie," I whispered again in the singsong voice I used on Jamie. She stirred a bit, but wouldn't wake up. I sighed and out of desperation, pulled the pillow right from under her head. I did it all the time with Mathew and my parents. Macie's head bounced on the mattress and her river blue eyes flew open.

"What was that for?" she cried loudly. I whacked her with the pillow and shushed her.

"Do you _want_ to sleep in some unknown, suspicious room after we've been kidnapped?" I questioned sarcastically.

Ignoring my comment she replied, "What happened?"

"Well after you passed out, another girl showed up—I think her name was Carmen—and I flung salt all over her," I recapped.

"Okay. . .," she said, confused. "That doesn't make any sense."

I looked her in the eye and said, "You're absolutely right." We grinned. The moment was completely spontaneous; we were actually beginning to get along. I wondered what would happen next.

"What are we supposed to do now?" said Macie, reading my mind.

"Well, staying here like sitting ducks doesn't sound exciting. I say we go and . . . investigate," I said, grinning slyly.

"Really? Because I thought staying here was a _great_ idea."

"Come on Mace!" I hadn't used that nickname in years. Not since we were little.

She looked a little dubious. "It could be dangerous _Kat,"_ she said emphasizing the Kat, but I just laughed.

"How can exploring be dangerous when we don't know where we are?" I asked her, still laughing.

"Uh, that's kind of the point! Who knows what's out there? For all we know it could be terrorists or a kidnapping ring!"

"Kidnapping ring? Really? C'mon Macie, embrace the exciting unknown! Let's go!" I was almost begging her.

"Okay, I guess it won't hurt if we look around a little," she said, mostly to herself.

"Yes!" I said, grinning victoriously.

"But no danger, okay?" she said sternly.

"You got it Macie," I told her. After that, we set off on an adventure that changed our lives and almost killed us a dozen times.

**So, my Beta is back from her trip! We should have things rolling sooner! I only have 6 today, but I will try and get 7, 8, and 9 before the end of the week. Thank you to everyone who is giving my story a chance. Thank you so much for bearing with me!**


	7. News, News, News

Chapter 7  
><em>News, News, News<em>  
>*Macie*<p>

Kaitlyn cautiously grabbed the doorknob. Strangely, the door was unlocked. She peeked out into the hallway and then walked out the door, beckoning me to follow her. "Coast is clear," she mumbled. Outside, the hallway was painted a cream color and was lined with doors and gold-framed portraits on both sides. After every door were two paintings. I recognized one as Benjamin Franklin and another as Oprah. After about fourteen doors, we turned left down the hall. The place was stunning. It didn't strike me as a terrorist organization, unless terrorists were worshiping some of the most important people in the U.S. We continued on, gazing at all the pictures. The awestruck mood ended abruptly when we heard a voice.

"I just don't understand," said a pleading girl's voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

"I've already said we'll discuss this with everyone else," said another voice, much lower than the first.

We realized the voices we coming closer. Kaitlyn and I panicked. We frantically began turning knobs, hoping one would be open. Luckily, one was. We flew inside, hoping to escape from the oncoming voices.  
><em>What is this place? <em>I thought. The room was a light blue. Actually, everything in the room was a shade of blue except for the huge glass table in the center and the window that took up the whole wall on the right side of the room. There was a dark blue velvet couch in the left corner by the window. The floor was an array of blue and white tiles. The whole room was completely immaculate. Every surface was polished and gleaming.  
>Around the table were twelve white leather chairs arranged unevenly. There were six chairs on the side facing away from us, four facing directly toward us, and two chairs at the head of the table. To our left was a closet door. It was positioned oddly so anyone near it could see everything at the table, but anyone at the table couldn't see anything.<br>I swung open the closet door and shoved Kaitlyn inside. I closed the door almost all the way, leaving it open a crack. Then people began to fill the room which I dubbed "the Blue Room". I counted eleven people milling to their respective spots at the table. A man and a woman sat side by side at the head of the table. They were wearing long silver trench coat with a little clock icon on them. To the left of them sat two men wearing brown trench coats that were covered with pictures of famous people from the past. Next to them sat a man and a woman whose clear coats didn't stand out as much as the others'. Finally, there was a pair of women whose coats changed pictures like a hologram. I saw Felix and Emma sitting next to a dark haired boy on the side opposite the closet. I was worried they would see us until I remembered we were hidden by the angle of the wall.

The man at the head of the table cleared his throat and started talking.

"Recent events have brought a certain Macie and Kaitlyn Fortes here. They discovered Emma Dame and Felix O'Reilly in their home last night when the Rookies teleported to the wrong location. When they called for backup, Carmen and Cameron Alvarez-"

He was interrupted when a dark haired girl—who I assumed was either Carmen or Cameron—rushed in and sat next to Emma. I freaked and shut the door as the heads turned to stare at her. _Way to be punctual, _I thought. The man looked extremely annoyed. His red hair was smoothed back, giving the appearance that he was calm and collected, but his emerald eyes showed everything. They were bursting with anger.

"Thank you so much for joining us, Miss Alvarez," he stated calmly.

"I'm so sorry. I got lock in my room by another Rookie and by the time I was ready it was already late." She didn't look as sorry as she sounded.

"As I was saying," continued the Head Man, "Mister and Miss Alvarez were called in for a simple extraction. They succeeded with one, but were unable to restrain the other before she saw them. They were also unable to stop her from retaliating. These trained professionals were unable to handle an untrained girl."

Kaitlyn's proud smirk turned into a master scowl. I didn't know what went on after I was drugged, but I'm sure Kaitlyn hadn't gone down without a fight. I gave her a questioning look, but she just pointed to the table. I was still confused on how people barely older than us could be trained professionals, but I let it go when the Head Man kept talking.

"We are here for two reasons. First on the agenda is to decide what to do about the Rookies. Then we'll decide how to handle the other two."

"Might I suggest we put them through another semester of training? In addition, they would have to present a speech about what it truly means to be a Time Traveler," said the woman in the clear coat. Her voice was very persuasive. It took me a bit to process what I had just heard. _Time Travel? That isn't possible!_

"I suppose that would be suitable punishment. Of course, if they don't pass this semester, they will be kicked out of N.O.T." He looked for approval from the rest of committee. All seven were nodding. Emma, Felix, and the Alvarez siblings looked relieved that they were getting a second chance and upset that they needed one.

"Moving on," said the woman at the Head Man's side. "We have already tried wiping the girls' memory, but strangely enough they didn't respond. We have spent a long time trying to keep them out of this. Fate obviously had other plans. We can't risk sending them back without expecting them to call the police."

"We can't expect her to stay away forever. It's in her genes. The other one shows a lot of potential also. We could use them, especially now. Besides, after what happened yesterday, I think they were going to get dragged into this with or without Emma and Felix's help." The lady with clear coat spoke up again. This time I noticed she had mouse-brown hair that stopped in a bob right below her ears, and her ocean blue eyes lit up as she talked.

I still had no idea about what they were talking about. _How were we going to get involved? What is in whose genes? How are we going to be "used"? What is up with time traveling? And where are Jamie and Mathew?_

"Oh, shoot!" I muttered loudly. Kaitlyn looked at me and I said, "Jamie and Mathew!" Suddenly Kaitlyn turned on rescue mode. She swung the door open and ran out. She planted herself right in front of the table with her hands on her hips. I stepped out from the closet and walked up next to her, but I knew she could handle this by herself.

"Okay, that's enough! I want to know what's going on here! Where are we and where are my brother and sister? They didn't know we got kidnapped! They're probably still upstairs wondering where I am! How could you just leave them there?" Kaitlyn's breath was heavy. She had just exploded on them. Their faces were priceless though, mixes of confusion, to shock, to steaming anger. Emma rose from the table and walked to Kaitlyn.

"We didn't know they were even there. We can send someone to retrieve them if you want."

"No! They're all alone! I want to go home! I have to take care of them! You have no right to keep us here!" I saw more pity in Emma's eyes. I was sick of her pity. So was Kaitlyn.

"The longer you keep us here, the more jail time you'll serve. My mom is probably home now and she won't be happy when she finds out a society of time-traveling weirdoes took her daughter. She's very respected in my community you know. She's not going to stand for this!" I realized I was rambling so I shut up. I looked at the people's faces and saw more pity. Like I needed it. The woman at head table quickly changed the subject. She had bleached blonde hair and shifty hazel eyes. She reminded me of a Barbie doll, but I doubted she acted like one.

"How did you get out of the infirmary? It was supposed to be locked tight." she wondered, trying to change the subject.

Kaitlyn wasn't fooled. "It was unlocked," she said dismissively. "Now back to my brother and sister. They need to be here now."

"I heard you talking about how you need us. You're not getting either of us until I get to see them." I grabbed Kaitlyn's arm and pulled her to the couch. We sat down and crossed our arms. I glared at the Head Man. He sighed.

"Janice, go get some P.D.s to get the kids." The mouse-haired woman, Janice, left the room. "PJ, go set up a room for the kids. We don't want them scared." One of the men followed Janice out of the room.

"What happened yesterday?" asked Kaitlyn quietly, recalling what they had said in the meeting. Emma and Carmen pulled up their chairs to the couch.

"This is my friend Carmen Alvarez. I believe she and Kaitlyn are already acquainted." Kaitlyn briefly nodded her head with a smirk. "Macie, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your mom was abducted yesterday and we think whoever did it is after you, too." _What? Who would do that? Why?_

My mom had been abducted. I was next.

**Chapter 7! Didn't take as long as you thought, right? My Beta is trying to make up for lost time, I suppose! Thank you to all of my readers and a special thanks to my amazing Beta! She doesn't have an account anymore, but she still is helping me! Thank you mad4music!**


	8. I Officially Hate Kidnappers

I Officially Hate Kidnappers

Kaitlyn

I looked at Macie in concern. Of course, she still wasn't my favorite person in the world, but having somebody tell you that you're mom had just been kidnapped and that you were the intended target couldn't be fun. I was concerned about my aunt, too. I wasn't happy that she had had decided to do charity work instead of spending time with us, but I realized that she probably hadn't shown _because_ she had been kidnapped. _Smart thinking, _I thought sarcastically.

"Hi. She, she was what? I was what?" Macie murmured to Carmen, still in a daze. She looked like she was still trying to process the news.

"Hello," Carmen said with a curt nod. Her eyes flickered around the room until they landed on Felix and her brother. They were staring at the four of us, waiting for something to happen. What they were waiting for, I don't know. _Boys can be such idiots sometimes. _

"How long do you think it will take them to bring Mathew and Jamie back?" I asked Emma. 

"I'm not sure. We, um, usually don't do this type of thing. I would guess about an hour or so." she finally said decisively. _I guess she hasn't been around these people long enough to know for sure_, I thought, but I trusted her judgment anyway. 

"If they even touch them…" I say, but the threat carried without words. I had protected my brother and sister as long as I was able, and I wasn't about to stop now. I couldn't help but worry. _Had they heard the crash? Were they awake and scared, wondering where their older sister and cousin were? _

"We should probably take you to your rooms now." Cameron said briskly, walking up beside his sister. He sounded like he wanted to get rid of us. 

I raised my eyebrows at this. "What do you mean 'rooms'?" I asked him. They could've been taking us back to the infirmary we were in earlier or we could be headed toward a prison cell, neither were acceptable options. 

"He means the room you and Macie will be temporarily staying in," Emma said smiling. She glared at Cameron. I didn't know why. Again. 

Carmen grabbed my arm and I glared at her, but she didn't let go. I was mentally debating on trying to fight back when she loosened her grip. A little. I'm guessing Felix was the one who grabbed Macie because in the next second I heard an Irish, "Bloody hell!"

I snickered and I heard the other girls laughing too. Macie was glaring at Felix who had claw marks on his arm. She may not always know what she's doing, but you've got to give the girl her props for attacking Felix.

"We'll send somebody as soon as your siblings arrive," Cameron said drily without eye contact as we walked behind him. After he held his hand on a sensor, two doors opened like an elevator. 

Before I could protest, we were pushed into the room and the door were slid shut behind us. 

"At least they didn't lock us in." Macie told me, her crystal blue eyes disbelieving. 

I nodded. "Now what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?" I said angrily. 

"At least now we don't have to rely on your lock-picking skills to get out. Not that we should leave anyway." Macie said, trying to lighten the mood in her own way. It didn't work. It just made me angrier. At her and who ever had brought us here.  
>I scowled at her. "Why would you even say that? Do I look like a criminal to you?" I demanded. <p>

"From what I hear, you're always getting in trouble at school and at home. Apparently, you don't pick the right friends. If you know what I mean." she said casually. We hadn't even been in there for five minutes, and she was already trying to start a fight. Of course, it's nothing new. 

"You don't know anything about me or what I do!" I told her. At that point I was beyond mad and angry, I was furious. _She knows absolutely nothing about me! She isn't the one who has had to take care of her little brother and sister since they were little. She isn't the one that got into trouble for trying to help them. _I thought angrily. 

I saw her eyes widened in surprise at my words. We haven't been friends since we were little, but we almost never fought. We tended to just stay out of each others' way. Play it safe.  
>We stared at each other and tension began to fill the room. It was so heavy that if anybody had walked into the room at that moment, they probably would have choked to death. Then, Macie sat daintily on one of the two beds in the room, never taking her eyes off of mine. I plopped on the bed across from her. Neither one of us were admitting defeat, more like admitting a tie. <p>

"If we want some answers, then we'll have to work together." Macie said looking at me. I knew she was right, but it was going to be hard. We were both going to have to try really hard. 

"Okay. First question, who were they talking about earlier?" I asked her, even though I already knew the answer. I didn't even pretend to be subtle because subtly was just not my style. 

"What do you mean?" Macie asked me, clearly thrown off by my brazen reply. 

"When we were hiding in the closet, one of the men said something about one of us having this, whatever-it-is, in our blood and the other having 'potential'." I told her. I thought it was her because she just seemed to fit the profile more than I do. Obviously, this whatever-it-is requires a painful amount of rules and I think all of those rules are expected to be followed, **all of the time. **She was also just so 'cookie-cutter perfect'. Good grades, great family, amazing friends. 

"Isn't it obvious?" she said blinking. I frowned at her. So now she wanted to be mean and vain about it, while trying to prove that she was smarter than I was. I was readying a reply, when she added on to her thought. "It's obviously you." 

"…That makes absolutely no sense," I said after a moment of silence. I was a little bit proud though. She actually thought that I was special at something. 

She rolled her eyes at my response. "Think about it. Your parents are never home," I glared at her and she shrugged apologetically, "and that would explain all of the trips _and _how long they take. Maybe they aren't business trips at all! Besides, you are much more athletic than I am. You would definitely be better at this than me." 

I considered the possibility. Macie's reasoning did make sense. "Let's say that's true. It still doesn't explain why they came to _your_ house and not mine," I said. 

"Maybe they've been watching us." she cried as she let out a gasp. We shared a look before laughing. "Maybe I've been reading too many crime novels!" she laughed and I nodded. 

"I've read some of those, but I think the T.V. explains it better. You can actually see what they're talking about." I told, her wrinkling my nose. She just shook her head, sending her long, caramel colored hair all over her face. 

"I'm getting a little hungry," Macie said clutching her stomach a bit dramatically. I laughed at her theatrics. It dawned on me how much I missed this; the way we used to joke around. How we used to be like best friends, sisters even. 

"Me too," I agreed. My stomach growled, agreeing with me and we both cracked a smile. 

"Now…we need a plan to get out of this...place," I said, gesturing around me. "and we need one fast before the high ranking people come back, but we still have to wait for Jamie and Mathew." I told my cousin. 

She shrugged her shoulders before speaking. "Why do we need to get out? They don't seem like they want to hurt us. They have been really nice. Besides, there are way more of them than there are of us, we wouldn't stand a chance." 

"That's what all kidnappers want you to think. Plus, they need us, that's the only reason they agreed to go get Jamie and Mathew." I told her like it should be obvious, which to me it was. 

"I guess…" Macie said reluctantly. "I just think we should stay put for awhile. I don't want to get lost or screw it all up, or get ourselves kidnapped. Again." she said, putting extra bitterness into the last two words. 

I got up and walked over to her. "We'll get your mom back, without or without these crazies' help," I said to her positively. Macie smiled her thanks, but there was a glint in her now ocean blue eyes that said she thought there was something more to this.

She was about to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of voices out in the hall. We both got up, and I smiled at her.

"That would be Jamie and Mathew," Macie said smiling brightly. I returned her smile and walked to the door.

We walked up to the door. I stood directly in front of the door and Macie was slightly behind me.  
>The door made a swishing sound as it opened. And there stood Emma, Felix, Cameron, and Carmen all looking a little uneasy and forlorn.<p>

"What it is?" Macie and I asked at the same time. I'm sure that we would have both done something to add to our statements so that we didn't seem the same, but the solemn air was too contagious.

I looked from face to face, finally settling on Carmen's. I respected her, I guess and I hoped that she respected me too. It was Felix who spoke, much to my surprise.

"We sent some people to go and get your brother and sister. They just got back. Jamie and Mathew weren't there."

I stared at him confused. I opened my mouth to ask him where they could be, but he continued before I could ask.

"We think they've been kidnapped."


	9. We Get a Mission From Our Room

Chapter 9

_ We Get a Mission From Our Room_

*Macie*

My world started spinning for the second time in less than an hour. Not only was my mom gone, but now Mathew and Jamie were too. _Who would be sadistic enough to kidnap little kids? _I thought disdainfully. I felt Kaitlyn tense up beside me and worried that she was going to hurt someone.

"What do you mean kidnapped? How do we know that you didn't take them and you aren't trying to use them against us?" I asked no one in particular. I just wanted someone to answer me.

It was obvious that Emma was sympathetic towards us, Felix didn't really no what to say, and Carmen thought that we weren't worth her time. But what bugged me the most was that Cameron just stood in the back looking bored. I was pretty good at reading people, but he made no effort to hide his boredom. He just stood there, his tan complexion seeming darker in the shadows. He caught me staring and suddenly his toes had become much more interesting.

"Is someone going to answer her or can we leave?" Cameron spoke up from the back. I owed him thanks, but didn't want to give it because he really didn't deserve it.

"We wouldn't tell you something like this as a lie. We really are the Good Guys here." Carmen told me, re-braiding her long, black hair while doing so. Emma shot her a look, but Kaitlyn pounced.

"You don't have to be so sarcastic. I didn't ask to be here. I don't want to be here! Now the most important thing in the world to me is missing and you are re-braiding your hair? How did this happen? I want answers!" Kaitlyn was just about yelling at the top of her lungs. I wanted her to calm down because I was kind of afraid of being sedated again.

"We don't know. But we have our best people looking for your mom," Emma looked at me as she said this. "And your brother and sister. We will find them." Emma looked like she wanted to just pull Kaitlyn and me into a giant hug.

"You guys probably need to eat something. You haven't eaten all day. I will go see if we can get you guys some room service." Emma said smiling as she grabbed Felix and dragged him off down the hall. I wasn't hungry anymore and I was sure that Kaitlyn wasn't either. Her bleach blond hair still looked like it was changing colors and it amazed me. It defied everything that I knew about.

Carmen sighed, letting Kaitlyn and me know that she didn't want to be here any more than her brother, but she had a nicer way of showing it. She looked both of us over. I felt like she was somehow invading my privacy. Suddenly, her chocolate brown eyes brightened and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"I bet that I know a place that will help you calm down." Carmen pointed to Kaitlyn.

"Carmen, I wouldn't do that." Cameron warned. Somehow he knew what she was thinking. He stood up straight and stared at her. Eventually she just looked back at Kaitlyn, determination apparent on her face.

"What are you talking about? You don't think that I would leave my cousin alone after the rest of my family just got kidnapped." Kaitlyn replied dryly. I noted how she excluded her parents from the equation.

Carmen grabbed her arm anyway and gave her a look that said _I dare you to move. _Kaitlyn just went along with it and walked down the hall glaring at the back of Carmen's head. At the end of the hall Carmen yelled back, "Cameron, watch her and make sure she doesn't go any where!"

"Sure Sis, whatever you say." I heard him mumble under his breath. "I guess it's just you and me. Can we like, go inside now?" He asked me pointing to the room. I nodded and went to sat on the bed,

_I didn't need watching. I was probably smarter than him anyway. _"So, where are you from?" I asked him, attempting polite conversation.

"The Present." I looked at him blankly, taken aback by his answer. "Oh, Brazil."

I wasn't sure if The Present was a city in Brazil, but he didn't seem to want to talk much. _I wonder where Carmen took Kaitlyn and why she didn't take me. _

"Do you know where your sister took my cousin?" I asked Cameron. He seemed to have known whenever she first suggested it. He didn't even look up before he answered.

"The gym. She trains when she is mad. I'm actually surprised that she trusted your cousin enough to let her train with her."

I was obviously getting no where with the conversation, so I decided to look around the room. It looked like a hotel room ,without the television and the phone, that had silver doors that looked like an elevator. There was a bathroom to my left, but I didn't see any where for clothes. That calmed me down a little because there would be a place for clothes if you were going to be staying for a long time.

I got up to go see what the bathroom looked like, but Cameron stood abruptly. "Where do you think you're going? If you are planning on overpowering me, I can guarantee that it won't work." He still hadn't even really looked at me. Not in the shy way, but just kind of aggravated at me.

"I was just going to go to the bathroom, unless there is some rule against that too." I retorted. "Although, I bet I could overpower you using intelligence only. If I wanted to. You don't seem that smart."

"Thanks a lot. Whatever you say. You can go to the bathroom, but don't take too long." He kind of growled. He had stopped muttering and seemed to be more confident in his own strength. _Leave it to a boy to feel over confident _I thought.

I walked into the bathroom, only to be extremely amazed and disappointed. Inside was the biggest shower that I had ever seen. It had two shower heads, one was portable, but was stationed directly where your face would be in the shower. There were jets on the bottom of the shower too. The thing that scared me most was the thirty buttons that lined the shower wall. _What I would give to take a shower right now._ The Klondike commercial came to mind. _What I would give for ice cream right now!_I was hungry now.

Straight ahead was also the biggest closet ever. It made me sad because it indicated that we might be here for a while. I felt my face drop as I saw that it came with clothes. I didn't want to be here. There was a **click **as I heard the doors to our room slide open again. I thought that maybe Cameron had given up and left me alone. I strode back into the room, not giving away any of my true emotions. It turned out to be Emma with the food. _Even better! _

"Hey! Where's Carmen and Kaitlyn? They didn't get into a fight did they? I knew they had personality clashes, but I didn't think that would happen. Oh I can't afford to get into trouble again." Emma started rambling. Felix shut her up.

"No Emma. Cameron said that they went somewhere." Felix told her jollily. His accent wasn't as noticeable.

Emma just narrowed her eyes at Cameron. "Where?" She sounded and looked like she could really hurt him. He just laughed.

"Emma chill out. I couldn't stop them, I mean her. She took Kaitlyn to the uh, Gym." He automatically blocked his face with his hands. Just in time because any later and he would've been hit by a pillow off of my bed.

"Why would you do that? Make them even more dangerous!" She took out what looked like an Ipod. She started tapping it furiously until she finally gave up. "Ugh! She didn't answer."

"Uh, Emma?" Felix asked her unsure.

"Yes, Felix?" She talked to him like a child. In that fake happy voice that usually fools them.

"Can we eat now?" Felix's emerald eyes grew wide. Resembling a puppy that had just done something wrong.

I burst out laughing. I had just had an extremely depressing and confusing day, but Felix just was concerned about the simple things. Everyone just looked at me like I was crazy. They had forgotten I was even there. I stopped laughing and smiled at Felix.

"Let's dig in!" I told him. He gave me a high-five before following me to the tray. Emma smiled at me, not a sympathetic smile like she had been giving me, but a real smile. Cameron just sat there until I just looked at him.

"Stop sulking and get over here. I know you're probably hungry. Don't protest, just get up!" I told him. He had really been aggravating me when he was just sulking like he had been. He narrowed his eyes at me before finally joining us at the makeshift table.

Emma had gotten us none other than McDonald's. I needed some kind of normal today. It wasn't healthy, but it worked for me. I scarfed down my chicken salad, drink, and my fries. I didn't care that it wasn't 'lady-like', I was hungry. No one seemed to care either because they were doing the same thing.

By the time Kaitlyn came back, I was full and so was everyone else. Emma, Felix, and I had been talking for about thirty minutes with Cameron occasionally adding his own opinions. I could tell that he didn't trust me at all. I learned a lot about Emma and Felix. Felix was from a poor Dublin family and Emma was from The Hamptons. She didn't strike me as the 'rich and mean girl' stereotype, so that surprised me.

Kaitlyn came back with her short, black hair wet with sweat and her forest colored eyes were gleaming. She had changed into short gym shorts and a tank top. Carmen came right behind her, dressed in similar attire. They were both smiling widely.

"That was the best time I have had in a while! Oh, food..." Kaitlyn said to Carmen.

"Yeah, I thought that you would like it. It really did seem to help you. You're a natural fighter." Carmen seemed happy that she now had a workout partner. Emma had told me that while she was good at fighting, she preferred not to fight, so Carmen had to practice by herself most of the time.

"Hey Cameron, Felix. Emma, have you talked to L1 yet?" Carmen asked. Emma just shook her head and yawned. It had been a long day for everybody.

All of the sudden, our room became like a giant loudspeaker. "Cameron Alvarez, Carmen Alvarez, Kaitlyn Fortes, Macie Fortes, and Felix O'Reilly need to report to the Council Room for debriefing." The automated voice said quickly. I looked around the room for answers. I got one from Cameron of all people.

"I guess we have a mission." He said as he walked out the door, a smirk on his face.


	10. I Practice My Detective Skills

I Practice My Detective Skills

Kaitlyn

"Thanks," I said softly, not meeting Carmen's eyes. 

"For what?" she asked, a few steps in front of me. We were walking back to the room that Macie and I had previously been held prisoner in. My clothes were sticking to my body with sweat from our little exercise match 

I sighed in exasperation. If she thought she was going to make me say it, then she had another thing coming. "For letting my win those last couple of battles," I said with an innocent smirk (if a smirk can be considered innocent). 

"I didn't let you win!" she said indignantly, before she realized what she had implied. After the first time I beat her, she consoled herself by saying that she had let me win. Of course, I only won about three out of fifteen or twenty…or just a lot. But nobody needs to know that. 

"So I beat you fair and square?" I asked smugly. 

"Please, it was just beginner's luck. Besides, I'm getting over an injury anyway," she said, brushing it off. No matter how Carmen comes off to people, I had to give it to her; she knew how to fight and the girl wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Finally, somebody who could understand why I got into so much trouble.

"Could somebody please explain what is going on?" Macie and I were _escorted _to what we had dubbed "The Blue Room". The one where everything but the table had chairs were some shade of blue. 

"I told you," Cameron said peevishly, "that we are going to be debriefed." 

I shared a quizzical look with Macie and I think we were both comparing our situation to crime shows. That might just be the kidnapping and top-secret society talking, though. "What could we possibly be getting debriefed about?" Macie asked, hoping to receive an answer from somebody. 

"Considering both of you were included in the summoning, I'm going have to say that it has something to do with you kidnapped family," Felix said. I realized both Carmen and Cameron were on those weird iPod things. They look agitated and Carmen shot her brother a dirty look. I didn't really think much of it because, so far, this whole experience had been weird.  
>Emma pushed the door to the Blue Room open. There were two people sitting at the long, wooden table. A woman was sitting at the head of the table, and a man was seated to her left. They looked like they were in the middle of an argument, but both clamped their mouths shut as soon as they saw us enter the room. <p>

"Hello," the woman said warmly. She seemed like the grandmotherly type, but I got the feeling that she wasn't afraid to bring her wrath down on someone if need be. She looked in her fifties, with her long brown blonde hair pulled up into a bun. Her hair was starting to grey at the edges, but it didn't seem to bother her, which was a refreshing change in pace. Her hazel eyes were sharp, but caring. 

"Ladies, gentlemen," the man said with a nod in our direction. He was a different case entirely. His hair was completely gray and his eyes brilliant blue eyes had wrinkles around the edges, but I suspect those were from laughing. Despite the formal greeting, he seemed…not as rough as the woman.  
>The woman turned her gaze on Macie and me, who had drifted closer. Despite our differences, we were familiar faces in a strange environment. "My name is Capricia, "she said with a smile. <p>

"She's Italian," Macie said softly. I looked at her in surprise, but she just shrugged. 

"His name," Capricia said, indicating the man, "is Gustave." 

"And he's French," I said, with a smile. Macie looked at me, not bothering to hide her surprise. "What? French happens to be one of the few classes I enjoy," I said with a shrug. She rolled her eyes, and we both turned to face Capricia and Gustave. 

"The two of you are correct," Capricia said, causing Macie and me to jump a little. "I am of an Italian descent and Gustave is French." She didn't seem at all mad that we had interrupted her, but I was still a little weary. 

"Mr. and Ms. Alvarez, it would be much obliged if the two of you put you devices down and paid attention to the conversation," Gustave said with a sly smile. I turned around to see both siblings putting their iPods into their pocket. I could hear both of them grumbling at each other, and I saw Emma and Felix struggling to hold back their laughter. 

"Please, take a seat. This might take a little while to explain," Capricia explained as she waved her hand at the numerous amounts of chairs.

"How did Capricia and Gustave know where my mom and cousins are?" Macie asked. Capricia and Gustave had just explained that they knew people in high places and were going to do everything they could to help us find our family. Then, they gave us the address of an old, abandoned law office. And told us to "Go check it out. See if you can find anything." 

"Were. They're not there anymore. And they told you they knew people," Carmen explained. 

"Then how did the people they know, know where to find our family," I snapped. 

"You'll have to ask them," Cameron replied. I shared a glance with Macie, and she just shook her head as if to say _it isn't worth it. _

"So how do you all plan on getting to this office?" I asked. 

"Taxi," Emma and Felix replied in unison. 

"I hate taxis," Macie grumbled. I gave her a sideways look, but otherwise let the comment pass. We walked outside and walked a few blocks until we came to a taxi stand. Emma went to find a cab all six of us could fit into. 

"What would be really ironic is if we got kidnapped too," I muttered to Macie, who was standing next to me. 

Macie snorted. "Yeah, we'd be pretty stupid if we got ourselves kidnapped." 

"Besides the fact that we would be screwed because it's not like my parents would actually look for me; they might look for Jamie and Matthew, but I doubt it," I told her, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. By the look she gave me, I'm guessing I didn't do a very good job. 

"You know they love you," Macie said softly. She placed a hesitant hand on my shoulder and I just shrugged before looking away. It was nice to have my once-best-friend back, but I wasn't sure how long it was going to last. 

"Over here!" Emma called, waving us over to an available cab. We walked over, Macie and I staying close, and Carmen gave the driver the address. Maybe it was just me (being a 'city girl'), but I could have sworn he was messing with the meter in his cab. A lot of drivers try to do that, get a little extra because I'm guessing cab drivers don't make a lot of money. 

We all squeezed in and it was surprisingly comfortable because the cab had two seats facing each other, almost like a limo. I sat in the middle with Macie on one side and Carmen on the other. Cameron, Emma, and Felix sat on the seat across from us.  
>We sat in awkward silence, with a few of us exchanging glares and glances, but more of the former, until we arrived at the law office. We all got out and Emma took out three twenties from her pocket to pay for the ride, but I snatched them out of her hand. <p>

"Hey!" she said indignantly. She and Felix were staring at me as if I had grown an extra head, and Carmen and Cameron were just glaring. 

"Watch, and learn," I told them with a smile. I turned around to face the cabbie and leaned through the opened window. _You may be able to fool out-of-towners and country-folk, but you've got another thing coming if you think you can fool a city girl,_ I thought peevishly. 

I exchanged a few words with the cabbie and then walked back over to everybody. I handed Emma a twenty with a smug smile and a, "Your welcome." She just stared at me as I continued to walk past her. Macie caught up with me and we caught up with Carmen and Cameron, who had gone ahead. 

"This place only has two floors, it's a small office. That means that it won't take us long to search for clues. The kids could have left something behind, or their kidapper might have . We're looking for anything that might give away their next location," Cameron said. "Felix, Emma, and I will take the second floor," he sent a glare at Carmen, almost as if he had won a battle or something; "Carmen, Macie and Kaitlyn will take this floor," with those final words, he spun on his heels in search of the elevator, or stairs. 

"How should we do this?" I asked Carmen once Cameron left. I had the feeling that they weren't on very good terms at the time. 

"We look, and hopefully we'll find," she said curtly. 

"I think there are only a few offices on this floor, so it'll only take a few minutes. We take one room a piece," she said.

I nodded and walked into the nearest office, which didn't actually have a door. Just looking around I could tell this building was old. There was a metal desk, which after closer inspection was deemed empty, two filing cabinets and a cardboard box. Both cabinets had dust and spiders, but nothing that was actually useful. I walked over to the box and opened it. The only thing in there was sketchpad, but nobody had drawn in it.

I walked back outside to find Macie and Carmen waiting on me. "What did you find?" Carmen asked, seeing the sketchbook in my hand. 

"It's nothing, just a blank sketchbook," I said dejectedly. _Will we still have a chance of finding them if we can't find a clue here?_ I thought with worry. 

Luckily, Cameron and crew decided to show up right then. "Did you find anything?" Macie and I asked in unison. I looked over at Macie, with something akin to shock, but brushed it off when I saw something in Felix's hand. 

"All we found was this," he said holding out his hand. In it was a pouch filled with sketch pencils and markers. At least I had something to do if I got bored.


	11. We Play With Fire

Chapter 11

_We Play With Fire_

*Macie*

Felix held out a bag of markers to go with the sketchbook. _That's nothing! How are we supposed to find anyone with nothing? _I thought, aggravated. Emma obviously saw that I was looking pretty upset because she walked over to me and looked in my eyes. Her hazel eyes peered into mine; hers filled with comfort and mine filled with loss.

"It has got to be something. It can't be just a coincidence that there are markers and a notepad. We will get it to the lab and see if they can find anything." She told me.

I wanted nothing more than to go home and cry, but that wouldn't help anybody. I put on a brave face and looked at Kaitlyn. She lost both her brother and her sister, the only two people that she truly cared about. There was sheer determination stuck in her eyes. _You could learn a little. Stop being a baby! _I patronized myself.

"We can call it in." Felix volunteered Emma and himself. Emma faked a smile and left with Felix to call Headquarters about the evidence.

"Carmen, can I ask you a question?" Kaitlyn asked.

Carmen looked at her, her chestnut brown eyes filled with indecision. She quickly finished re-braiding her mid-back black hair and nodded. At first, I was wondering why everyone was silent, and then I realized that Kaitlyn had meant she wanted to talk to Carmen **alone**. Eventually, Carmen stood and led Kaitlyn into a different room, leaving my alone with Cameron.

Neither one of us spoke, filling the room with an uncomfortable silence. Cameron wasn't kind and caring like Emma, thoughtful like Felix, or intimidating like Carmen. He hardly ever spoke, but when he did, it was usually only directed towards his sister, which made it even harder to read him. For some reason, he seemed to have deemed himself better than us, and that aggravated me.

"I always get stuck babysitting." Cameron muttered under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear.

"Excuse you, I do not need babysitting. Do you really think I am going to leave? My mom and my two little cousins are missing. I am not going anywhere, you can leave if you want." I told him.

I kept my voice steady and stared at him in the eyes, letting him know that I wasn't planning on backing down. _Kaitlyn is already starting to have a better influence on you! _A small part of my brain shouted.

"I wasn't aware that you knew Portuguese." Cameron replied, his chocolate eyes never leaving mine.

"I don't, not really. I have read a little in books, but not much. Why would you say that?" His statement had caught me off guard and my answer was weak. I didn't want him thinking of me as an amateur.

"You must know enough." He scoffed as he rolled his eyes, finally breaking contact.

"Excuse me?" I questioned. I was done trying to act like I knew what we were talking about, I was lost.

"You understood me, didn't you?" He wondered.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked him.

"Forget it. I misunderstood." He abruptly ended the brief conversation.

_What was he talking about? _I wondered. It was obvious that he wasn't planning on telling me, but I wanted to know. Carmen and Kaitlyn walked in smiling and laughing. _I wonder what went on in there._ I pondered. Kaitlyn came to stand beside me and I gave her a questioning look. Her gaze lingered on me for a second, but then she mouthed "I'll tell you later."

I sighed and went to sit up against the wall, trying to think about the notepad and markers could mean. Carmen and Cameron stood together, whispering vividly. Kaitlyn came and sat next to me, her short black hair messed up from whatever she did with Carmen.

"I asked her about her family." Kaitlyn finally whispered.

"And?" I asked. I was very curious to learn about the family that two of the strangest people I had ever met come from.

"And she didn't really tell me much. She just told me that they weren't involved in her life anymore. Then we started talking about different things." She trailed off, lost in thought. "She really isn't that bad if you get to know her." Kaitlyn added, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"Oh." I said. I wasn't actually sure how to reply to that. I felt bad for them. _If I didn't have my mom, I wasn't sure where I would be. Although, I seem to be fine without my dad. _I thought. _You won't have your mom if you can't find her._

Emma and Felix walked in. Emma was rolling her eyes and I found my self once again distracted by her hair. It was mostly bleach blond except for a few highlights that seemed to change colors. _That doesn't even seem possible! How does she do that? _I wondered, awestruck at the the technology. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I missed the first part of what Felix was trying to say.

"-and we are going to make our way to headquarters. We can't take the, uh, easier way because Kaitlyn and Macie aren't trained for that." His voice filled with Irish decent showed that he was slightly upset about something. I felt my face flush with embarrassment as he mentioned our names. We were causing them extra trouble for something that only related back to us.

"Okay. I can call a cab." Cameron volunteered. Emma nodded and he dialed a number on what looked like an Iphone.

We all exited the building and climbed into the waiting cab. Carmen told the driver a different address and sat back, her arms crossed. She would've been beautiful if she didn't always look like she was always plotting someone's future death. She was the ideal exotic image. I had only seen her smile twice.

The cab arrived at our destination forty-five minutes later. _I didn't think the ride to there was that long. _

"Stay here. We need to talk about the plan for a minute." Emma told Kaitlyn and me in an apologetic tone. We nodded our understanding quickly before she shut the door.

Kaitlyn and I said nothing. It felt like there was someone watching us at all times and neither of us felt comfortable with it. I began nervously tapping on the seat next to me, as Kaitlyn had scooted over to sit by the window when Emma had gotten out.

Less than a minute later, the door opened and I was about to get out when Cameron grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the car. I tried to get him to let go of me, but he was too strong. He shoved me as far as he could away from him, which is surprisingly very far, and onto the ground before doing the same to Kaitlyn. My whole body screamed as I hit the cold, hard sidewalk. Kaitlyn landed beside me and I noticed Carmen, Felix, and Emma on the ground, confused as well. As soon as Kaitlyn hit the ground, the car that we had been in less then ten seconds before, exploded into a million pieces.

I could feel the heat of the fire from the explosion against me and I scrambled to get up. I heard Carmen's high-pitched scream as she yelled out her brother's name and rushed to find him. A car door landed against my leg and pinned me back on the ground. I wrestled it off of me and stood up once again. There was fire everywhere and I could hardly see my hands through the smoke. I tried not to wince as I rushed to find out if Cameron was okay. He had just saved our lives and he might be dead himself. Carmen was still screaming his name and trying to go around the fire when I found her. Some part of my brain told me that Felix, Emma, and Kaitlyn were still somewhere on the ground, but I was sure that they were okay, or at least in less danger than Cameron.

I heard a groan and I immediately began trying to locate it. There was a pounding in my head and my whole body hurt from being thrown onto the ground with so much force, but I ignored it. I saw him and I froze.

"Carmen! I found him!" I called out to her over the flames.

His hair was scorched on the ends from the flames and he was bleeding everywhere. His face was caked in soot, reminding me of a cat for some reason. For the first time, his eyes didn't look guarded, but instead they looked guilty. Carmen began to cry beside me, but I pretended to ignore it out of courtesy. Carmen and I managed to get him farther from the flames, but he was obviously in a lot of pain.

"Why are you guilty? You just saved our lives!" I blurted without thinking. Carmen sent me a quick glare and looked at her brother again, this time with confusion written all over her face.

"I failed to save an innocent civilian. It wasn't his fault that I called him to drive us."

With a start, I realized that he was talking about the cab driver. _This can't possibly be the same arrogant boy!_ I thought I heard someone begin to stir behind us, but I couldn't be sure. We were now far enough away from the flames that the smoke wasn't as bad and we could sort of see, but my ears were still kind of messed up from the initial blast.

"Cameron, it wasn't your fault. You saved all of us. I was afraid you were dead!" Carmen started. She was talking faster than normal, but I wrote it off as nerves.

"We need to go. Now." Emma said from behind me. She, too, was covered in soot, making her pale face seem so much darker.

Carmen nodded and helped Cameron back up. He was obviously hurt pretty bad, but he managed to walk along with us with a limp and a little help from his sister. He looked so unlike himself. He looked helpless and scared. Sort of like a hurt puppy. Kaitlyn walked beside me, shaken. Emma and Felix were talking in front of us. Judging by the alarm in their eyes, they were just as freaked out as we were.

"Where are we going?" Kaitlyn eventually asked Emma.

"We can rest here" Emma said with a glance at Cameron, who had been holding on, but now looked like he was going to pass out. She led us into a small diner and we all sat down at the booth. Luckily, no one questioned our disheveled appearances.

"We are trying to get as far away," she dropped her voice to a whisper so that no one would over hear. "from the crash as possible. We can't be involved in something like that. It would bring too much unwanted attention to the Society. I have some money, we can all get something to eat for dinner, if you want." She added, trying to change the subject.

We all nodded enthusiastically. I slipped away to go wash up in the bathroom and Emma, Kaitlyn, and Carmen followed me. Felix decided to go help Cameron try to clean up his cuts, so he looked better. We ordered a large pizza and split it. For a while, it was like old friends hanging out and having fun, even Cameron joined in. _He is a lot nicer when he is hurt, _I thought before realizing how mean that sounded. The fun ended when the news came on.

"Today, a cab spontaneously went up in flames near the mall. Unfortunately, the cabbie and two others died from the crash. We are still gathering information, but it seems that six teens were seen leaving the site. They are wanted for questioning. If you know the whereabouts or identities of these kids, please contact this hotline." The man on the screen pointed to a phone number.

Beside me, I saw everyone around the table stiffen. The waitress glanced our way, but quickly looked away. Emma and Felix looked at each other and then to Carmen and Cameron. I saw Kaitlyn clench her fists in fight or flight mode. I looked around the diner and saw only one exit. There was no way we were getting out without causing a scene.

We stood to leave, hoping that the waitress wasn't paying attention to us. Unfortunately, she was.

"I think that y'all need to stay right there." She said in a nasally voice filled with country accent.

In front of me, Carmen dialed a number on her Iphone and Emma and Felix each grabbed a hand until we were all joined together. There was a bright spinning light that came from the phone. It was strangely warm and welcoming as I felt the mysterious light engulf us.


End file.
